Early adopters often get the short end of the stick when it comes to the reliability and usability of brand-new tech, but it’s not common to hear grumbles about a new product from the company itself. That’s the report that came out about Apple and the Vision Pro this weekend, as a member of the team is said to believe that it will take several more updates before it’s truly ready for primetime.
Mark Gurman from Bloomberg noted that the Vision Pro is “essentially a prototype” and said that the team has plenty of work to do. “Apple still has lots of work to do, starting with rejiggering its software upgrade process to release bug fixes more quickly. At this point, it feels like the software is a beta version and about a year away from feeling refined enough for consumers to use on a day-to-day basis. In fact, some people in the Vision Products Group (the team working on the headset) believe it could take four generations before the device reaches its ideal form – similar to the progression of the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.”
Gurman doesn’t believe the Vision Pro will replace the iPhone or Mac. Instead, he thinks it will overtake the iPad’s place in Apple’s lineup. Though it’s still in its early days, he said the Vision Pro “has the potential to provide a far better experience for the main jobs that Apple’s tablet was designed to handle.”
Prototype or not, the device has already shown some impressive capabilities. Its potential for productivity apps and industrial applications could become significant in the near future as more software becomes available. In the meantime, let’s just hope everyone avoids using it while driving.